“Absolutely amazing stuff coming up,” Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth) teases regarding the newest season of Game of Thrones and the devious red priestess Melisandre. He and Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) had exciting things to say to Express about the upcoming season. Williams reveals in the new interview that we’ll likely see Arya in fewer episodes this year.
The first episode to kick off with [Melisandre] – without saying anything again – is astonishing. There’s absolutely amazing stuff coming up, just so left of field. Just watching your and my favourite characters being put in these situations that are just so unpredictable and just so unexpected – it’s one of the trademarks of the show. – Liam Cunningham
At a recent press conference, fellow cast members Maisie Williams offered similar praises for the new material:
And that’s the exciting thing about this series. Although we’re off-book, it means that they [the creators] can write the series as a well-rounded series without having to stick to certain plot points that are already laid out. So that everyone can have a nice arc and we can all have a pinnacle moment at the same sort of time, like you get one epic episode, and it works a lot more in their favour because they can shape the series as they want.
Williams also confirmed that we’ll be seeing less of her character in season 6, with her appearing in fewer episodes than in previous years. According to Express, the actress says that many of her scenes were “split up”, and that she feels her story still “totally flows.”
In other Game of Thrones news, the series received five Saturn Award nominations, including one for Best Fantasy TV Series. The awards are handed out by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.
In addition to Best Fantasy series, Kit Harington is up for Best Supporting TV Actor, while Lena Headey is nominated in the Supporting Actress category.
The show is represented twice in the Best Younger Actor on TV category, with nominations for Maisie Williams as Arya, and Brenock O’Connor as Olly.
Congratulations to the cast and crew, and good luck!
With The Winds of Winter still in progress, the cast and crew have new-found freedom to project the newest material from Westeros, which is exciting for them and fans alike. What do you hope to see in the newest season? Let us know below!
Hodor
“just so unpredictable and just so unexpected”
Yeah it might have been that way 6 months ago.
I’m pretty sure that even people who DON’T watch the show knows what Melisandre is doing in the first episode.
Jon resurrected in the premeire? Too soon?
Congratulations Olly! We all love ya!
So is Liam saying the first episode starts with an incredible scene involving Melisandre?
Also, sounds like Arya will be staying in Braavos for most of the season.
Melisandre better do her job 😛
Also I’m glad to see Kit finally get some recognition. He easily had the best story arc of season 5 and he’s improved so much since the earlier seasons.
Olly’s been a fan favourite for so long. About time he received some recognition.
Jack Bauer 24,
He’d have a lot of things to do this season, so it would be a good idea to get him started early. I also assume everyone is tired of waiting by now.
Sword of the Morning,
I hope Aria will still make it to the Frey wedding.
And though Melisandre’s involvement in the first scene was predictable, things may play out in a different way that we expect.
Olly is destined to become shoe goo for Wun Wun.
Wow, she was barely there last season. And now even less? I wonder what this implicates.
Very happy for the cast who are nominated and for GoT, but especially happy for Kit!!!! He is the BEST Jon Snow!!!! Wishing Good Luck to all!! I really want Jon Snow to be resurrected and not die again!!!! Ever!!!! That’s all!!?
Olly? The boy from the Night’s Watch? A fan favorite? Why? Am totally confuzzled.
Jack Bauer 24,
I’m in the “let’s get that over with asap” camp. We all know he’s coming back. Might as well do it right away.
Singedbylife,
And he had like one facial expression throughout the entire season :P. Dean-Charles Chapman would’ve been the better choice imo.
KDAK,
Well since the show is going to go into Winds territory maybe suggests that Martin just doesn’t care that much about Arya,i mean she had like what 5 chapters combined over the last two books ?
Singedbylife,
It’s an acting nomination not a popularity contest dude . Also i think some of you have some deep issues you need to resolve if you confuse a character with a kid who is just playing that character . Get over yourself ! This is not the first time i’ve seen unneded hate at the actor for something his fictional character did in a FICTIONAL SHOW,wake up to reality .
I’m glad Kit is finally get some recognition for his S5 performance. Kit had poorer material in S1-S3 than everybody else and in the last 2 seasons his material is better and so is his performance.
Totally crackpot, but what if Arya takes the (dead) Jon Snow’s face from the Hall of Faces, puts it on, and goes back to Westeros to wreak havoc in his form?
I doubt this is what will actually happen, especially since I’m under the impression that the faces come only from those who offer themselves in exchange for the final gift of death in the House of Black and White, but…I’m bored with the obvious Melisandre-resurrection stuff (which is what I think will actually happen), so I’m allowing my imagination to run wild and stringing pieces of evidence together in new ways.
That way, the showrunners wouldn’t be lying. Jon would be dead, but Kit would still be on set, Arya would be appearing less than usual, and the Hall of Faces promotional stuff would have a hidden meaning.
But no. I don’t really think this will happen.
Tyrion the Myrion,
Grrm has said he loves writing Atya second most after Tyrion. Arya may have only had five chapters in AFFC-ADWD but that’s two more than Sansa and Bran.
Now,i’m not saying the kid is a great actor or anything,just felt that i needed to defend someone who is unfairly insulted because a group of people can’t seem to separate fiction from reality . Imo,Kerry Ingram should have been nominated along with Maisie but oh well .
Personally I don’t give a lot of the interviews leading up to the seasin premire much thought because the actors, who can’t really say anything always end uo saying how unexpected and amazing and how bigger and better the season will be…..every season, lol.
It also irks me a bit when people say, its off book now so D&D can do more of what they want and not be constrained by the source material. I’ve seen in many in depth interviews and cons where D&D and George say that they’ve talked about this, are in regular communication and George is still an executive producer so although they will make their own adaptations as they have been to make the entirety of the story smaller to fit a tv show, they are still bound to the ASOIAF series. Since the newest book won’t come till after this season, this season is more about a bit of an introduction and advertisement for TWOW now when you think about it.
It will be sad to see less of Maisie, but perhaps this is her quiet time before coming back with a bang like Bran seems to be doing. She has also been doing a lot if other projects which isn’t surprising given her immense talent. That girl is going to go all the way!
For me, like many others it is all about Jon and the north this season. His resurrection, the battle against the Bolton’s to take back the north and especially his parentage! I’m seriously going out of my mind I want to see it so bad!
Oh and slightly OT for any Finn Jones/Loras fans on here:
http://nerdist.com/iron-fist-lands-its-lead-actor-with-games-of-thrones-finn-jones/
Good that they’re getting Jon’s resurrection completed first.
Interesting that there will be fewer Arya scenes this season. I suspect that D&D decided that Arya’s training wasn’t actually so mesmerizing on screen after all especially since its do disconnected from everything else so they’re cutting back on that a bit.
Another reason might be because they need the screentime for all the flashbacks and for what’s happening in the North.
Or maybe it’s just like i said, Martin doesn’t know how to reintroduce her story in Westeros and maybe he reached a new Meerenese Knot with her story so that’s why he’s writing less and less chapters of her and since like someone before said,the show is still bound to the material,they can’t change her story too much so they are scaling back as well until Martin’s creative juices return .
I hope Jon isn’t resurrected that soon, and I doubt he will be. I’m in the minority in that I would like to see his resurrection around the 4th or 5th episode. It would cheapen his ‘death’ for him to not even miss an episode. Let it linger. Let fans start to wonder if he really is gone for good. Bringing him back the first scene of the premier is like nothing ever happened. Carice has said Melisandre for the first time starts to doubt Rh’llor. So I wouldn’t expect her to be bringing Jon back in the first episode.
Fewer episodes. Not fewer scenes or less screentime. Crucial difference.
Tyrion Pimpslap,
I agree .
Not sure if serious? LOL.
Arya and her adventures was one of my favorite storylines for 4 seasons, but, man, her Braavos arc is so isolating and dull. I never thought I’d be okay with less Arya screentime but, welp, I am. I really hope
That would certainly get me interested in her storyline again.
Luka Nieto,
Usually this means less screen time. There are too much characters on the show, she will not get much screen time per episode.
Hooray for Kit!!!
Completely agree that it’s lovely he’s getting some recognition, as well as that his S5 material was leaps and bounds better than previous seasons. But his performance? He’s been pretty fine all along. Some of his best moments were from S1 (saying goodbye to Arya, talking with Sam about being a bastard). I think Kit gets an unfair reputation for the (at times ridiculous) material he’s been saddled with.
I’m very happy for Lena, Maisie, Brenock but especially for Kit (I loved the transformation and evolution of the character) he captured perfectly the essence of Jon and these last two seasons, his performance was amazing!! Luck and congrats to all!! And Liam & Maisie… OMG, I love them!! O.K!! 59 days!! 🙂
I’m confused about Maisie appearing in fewer episodes. Wasn’t it confirmed that
would feature in 4 episodes? Surely Arya would be featured in every episode that they’re involved in? I’m not looking forward to more Arya vs Sansa screentime comparisons/complaints.
Selina,
This statement is based on nothing, really.
Isabelle,
Agree, he had stand-out moments in 2-4 as well, like his scenes with Ygritte, but especially the wars with the wildlings speech to her in season 3. And then there was 4.1 (defending himself before Thorne and Slynt), and then of course episode 9, which stands out in my mind.
Not for me – the sooner the better
Odd that Arya wouldn’t be in quite as many episodes, given that she even still has a few book chapters to draw on.
Nonetheless, it’s possible she just meant *in comparison to Season 5* – which was arguably the season in which Arya has received the most focus and screentime (the *entire* Braavos set was basically revolving around just Arya, not other major viewpoint characters).
But there’s also the question of quality vs quantity – a character that only appears in two episodes can nonetheless have massive impact on the storyline. Physical screentime isn’t always a good measure.
“talking with Sam about being a being a bastard”
A well as their scene at Crasters in season two where they discuss Gilly.
She also said she has no idea how they’re going to divide her scenes – all lumped into one or spread across many. She meant total screentime – and I mean, even I consider “total screentime” — I don’t care if a character only appears in one episodes but for a 20 minute chunk, or if they appear in 10 episodes for 2 minutes each. Really subjective. I don’t mind.
The character wasn’t well written, but I sure did like the actor. Hard to find good child actors.
Apparently Finn jones is going to be iron fist for marvel. Seems like a strong indicator about his not surviving this season.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCOXEoUnqp-/
Maisie killin’ it.
Most of the people I know that watch the show have not considered that she will revive Jon. Remember, it’s been three years since they saw Thoros do it, and the show has killed off so many primary characters that nothing seems out of place by having yet another one die off. (Besides, most people assume that Harrington became sufficiently popular that he quit the show to pursue other opportunities.)
I think Arya is the real wild card in this story. On the surface it seems like it’s all about the revenge thing but it’s becoming established the Faceless men aren’t about that . I can’t tell if she was recruited simply because of her violent nature, or if there is something more, i.e. they picked her specifically because she is a Stark .
I have a sneaking suspicion a major character will contract the Faceless men to take out another , say Cersei putting the hammer down to get Tyrion and they send Arya.
I say it’s good Brenock O’Connor has gotten a nomination. I think he’s doing a good job with Olly, no matter how the character is taken. His character has gotten A LOT of hate from the fans for killing Jon Snow, which I’d imagine would be hard for anyone to take, and considering how young Brenock is, I think that it’s really good that he’s getting some positive recognition for the role as well.
Tyrion Pimpslap,
My bet is that Jon’s storyline is going to be long and complex enough that it will demand an entire season. Moreover, it probably will (as in past seasons) strongly parallel Daeny’s storyline: and that would require starting both at the same time so that hte audience can appreciate the paralleles.
Besides, Melisandre basically needs to heal or revive Jon soon: otherwise there would not be anything left several months later!
At any rate, having Jon come back right away will not “cheapen” his assassination. The only thing that would cheapen it is if it is not a major point in his ongoing character evolution. Even if Jon comes back in Episode 1, then it should still be a major turning point in his character evolution, just as the assassination attempt on Daeny should be a major turning point in her character evolution. Both should learn the crucial lesson that trying to please everyone still makes you a lot of enemies: and this (hopefully!) will be of critical important at the climax when they make whatever decisions they need to make regarding the Walkers, R’hllor, etc.. And both probably are now going to be in situations where they are needing to get people who deem them as some sort of “criminal” (Jon by virtue of his treason and Daeny by virtue of her being a widow) to line up behind them against a more important enemy. If that is what is going to happen, then they will need the full 10 weeks to really make it work and give us some satisfactory payoff at the end. The assassination attempts will be cheapened only if they are not the pebbles that launches the avalanche of this year’s story.
This premiere is going to shatter records. It is going to be insane. Everyone will be tuning in to see if Jon comes back.
I agree. By the time the season premieres, HBO and the showrunners would’ve had their fun with the audience for 10 months. No need to continue dragging out the silly farce of ‘is he or isn’t he?’. There are 30 hours left to finish this meandering story. I’m definitely okay with the you-know-what happening in episode 1 so everyone can get moving towards the endgame.
But what if it isn’t Melisandre who brings Jon back. We are all expecting that. How surprising is that? We’ve been told to expect amazing twists. Having Jon brought back in a totally unexpected way (maybe with dazzling special effects) would fit that bill. Jon has Stark and Targaryen roots. I’m hoping they will play roles in his resurrection.
I’m hopeful that the screen time that Maisie DOES have is amazeballs. That girl can put more into 5 minutes than some can do in an entire season.
In the few interviews I’ve seen with him, he seems like a really intelligent and earnest kid. He deserves the nomination – that’d be a tough character to play. 🙂
i’m Happy for kit, he deserves the nomination for playing such an amazing Jon snow, can’t think of anyone else playing snow besides him.
I love it when the Cast hype the new season of Game of Thrones, always gets me excited.
The first episode to kick off with [Melisandre] – without saying anything again – is astonishing. There’s absolutely amazing stuff coming up, just so left of field. Just watching your and my favourite characters being put in these situations that are just so unpredictable and just so unexpected – it’s one of the trademarks of the show. – Liam Cunningham
God i’m so hyped.
Yes, well done to Brenock. It’s somewhat easier to play characters who are easy to love, but to play a character who isn’t easy to love (or one people love to hate) is a lot harder. Congratulations!
Shoe goo LOL plus, you could be right. I don’t dislike the actor and congratulate him for the nomination; I even understand and sympathize with Olly’s dilemma about the Wildings – I just hated that his decision was to actually take part in stabbing Jon – someone who so obviously cared about him. Life’s a bitch and then you … become giant shoe goo, Olly.
KDAK,
I guess it’s what we get for including all the book plotlines this season. Bran, Greyjoys, Tyrion and Dany split up again, Boltons and Sansa split up, Sam and Jon split up… the screentime has to come from sonewhere.
After all is said and done … this IS a fantasy after all. I don’t care how they do it, as long as it’s done. I might be a tad disappointed if they showed something like him coming out of his office saying “hey, guys. What’s up?” but I still would be wigglingly happy that he’s back. I’ve always loved Kit’s acting. It’s about effing time he was nominated. Next year: Oscar
Kit definitely deserves it. He was great in S1 in his scenes with the Lannister bros. Jon dying in the last scene of the season worked well for the show. He is a star of the show & can’t sit out several episodes. This way, time passes but he doesn’t lose precious screen time. Liam didn’t say E1 was going to start with this scene. He will probably open his eyes in the last shot of the episode.
Congrats to Brenock. Nods at Kerry Ingram. I’ve placed Arya in 5 episodes and possibly 1-2 more.
Jon’s storyline is likely to involve quite a bit of time moving to different situations and dealing with various characters so it makes sense to get on with it.
Does the Finn Jones news mean Loras is doomed?
Kudos to Brenock, Maisie, and Lena for their respective nominations. As for Kit, he most definitely deserves to win his category. He most singlehandedly brought the fandom to their knees with his death but most importantly (for the show) he brought to life a character in such a way that we all wanted to see him become the amazing leader he was born to be. He has the most admirable character left on the show (IMHO). Im not sure how soon I want him to come back. On the left shoulder the voices say “bring him back right away, I want an end to the torture”… on the right “let the storyline progress and see how long we the fans suffer”. As far as Olly is concerned, burn the bastard (no offense Brenock- and yes I know the difference between the actor and the character he is playing) but all the same he needs to die a merciless death with Ramsey Bolton next to him.
My first thought reading Finn’s news was Loras dead. Like omg dead.
Wimsey,
Agreed!
Jon will take Olly under his wing. We will like Olly before it’s over.
AnotherGOTfan,
That would be really bad storytelling. Key events in stories should be neither arbitrary nor unprecedented. We have been given absolutely nothing either on the show or in the books to suggest that Stark or Targaryen heritage confers any propensity for spontaneous resurrection. Now, yes, a lot of fantasy stories would introduce this out of the blue at this point: but isn’t this also one of the classic fantasy tropes of the sort Martin has promised not to do? And isn’t this also the sort of Deus ex Machina plot device that leads so many to criticize the fantasy genre as childish escapism?
M,B&W have hung one Ressurection Gun on the wall, and they tellingly made sure that gun was at the Wall at the end of the 4th story. Look for that to be fired. Will it surprise the fans? No. But for every unsurprised fan, there will be dozens and dozens (and dozens) of surprised viewers. (Remember, they are not reading these sorts of websites!)
Jack Bauer 24,
Love the crab purse..and the comments from her followers!
Tyrion the Myrion,
Hello….
No. There’s clearly not a Braavosi Knot for Arya. GrrM has clearly set up a conflict for her that he has to escalate for Arya to “drop out” of the Faceless Men, and that’s all about “leaving her identity” behind and becoming noone.
As for Martin’s creative juices and the number of Arya chapters… Take a look at how many POV’s there are in aDwD, compared to aCoK, then compare how LONG chapters have gotten compared to aGoT. Despite being such an isolated character (I agree on this), the numbers still suggest that she has a large part to play. To compare, Dany only has ten and is likely a more important character.
DD are bound by the story? Last time I checked, they are sticking to the “we’re heading towards the same mountain, but take our own paths“-answer.
Last year she was in six episodes, so five episodes tops?
I don’t know. It could end up that way and Finn just took the opportunity to get new work. Or, he recognizes that Loras is a popular character, so it makes sense for him to try to bank on that and land a lead role in something worthwhile now that he’s a “hot item”? If Sophie can land Jean Grey, of all comicbook characters.. Then Finn can land Iron Fist…
I don’t know the production schedual for Iron Fist, but if they don’t shoot in August-December, then there’s no reason to fear. And even then, Loras is not a “big screentime” character. Finn doesn’t generally have that many days of shooting. Has Charlie (Emergency Awesome) made a video on this yet? He might know more about the shooting dates possibly conflicting.
AnotherGOTfan,
I don’t doubt Melisandre will try, but I do have doubts whether she’ll succeed. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Bran and BR were somehow part of it.
Congrats to all the nominees in particular Kit and Maisie.
I’ve never had a problem with Arya’s screentime, only the way they’ve been breaking it up in the last two seasons. Particularly last season.
And it looks like we are in for more of it this season. I find it strange cause she did a fair bit of filming and I thought she’d make about 7 or 8 eps.
I wanted to wait till the season was completely aired and then watch all 10 eps over a weekend or so. I admit this is going to be much easier to achieve with this news. And it might end up being a good thing. It could finally break my addiction to this show.
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Three episodes was what was on the casting sheet for the theater troupe parts.
But, again: M,B&W should have set up that Bran & BR could do something like that if they were going to do that. Otherwise, it’s Deus ex Machina. (In the literary sense, of course: it is going to be Deus ex Machina in the literal sense no matter what happens! 😀 However, at least revival via R’hllor is a hung gun whereas revival via Tree Gods is not.)
At any rate, if R’hllor is willing to do this through Thoros, then why wouldn’t it be willing to do this through Melissandre? And, of course, Melissandre is a much more adept at getting R’hllor to do things than is Thoros; so, if he can do it, then she should be even more able to do it.
Sue the Fury,
Still, that’s enough to where I’d believe Arya would appear in 5 or 6 episodes, which is similar to last season.
Ser Oromis Locke,
If Maisie is in fewer than 6 episodes this season, she’ll not be considered as part of the “Ensemble” for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. That would be a shame [bell ringing].
Love the way you phrased this, Wimsey. It has a both a lyrical yet ultimate truth vibe to it – it immediately made me think of the sight of heavy mist and pebbles rolling from the top of the hills before the mounted White Walkers were revealed to Jon.
Looking at the full list of noms for the Saturn Awards, I am thoroughly nonplussed that for ‘Outlander,’ Sam Heughan and Catriona Balfe got nominated for Best Actor and Actress, but Tobias Menzies (Edmure Tully) got skunked out of the Supporting Actor list. Sam may be the best male eye candy on TV of late, but Tobias’ double role as Black Jack and Frank was far and away the most outstanding performance among the ‘Outlander’ cast.
I doubt GRRM’s having difficulty bringing Arya’s plot back to Westros. [ spoiler ]In Arya’s released TWOW chapter, he’s connected her with Bran. So he’s already setting that up. When he’s done preparing her for her role in the main fight/resolution with all this training, Arya’s way home might be through some mission with Bran that’s facilitated by communicating through skinchanging. I hope the show includes some version of Arya and Bran connecting through magic this season.[ / spoiler ]
Firannion,
Well that’s something we can agree one at least . I didn’t care much for Outlander but Tobias was the only reason i stuck through the end,once BlackJack is gone so am i .
I love George’s writing, but if there was one area of improvement, it would absolutely be the shape of the stories in the books. DwD lacked any climax whatsoever, and only the third book had a really good one – and it was epic. So I hope that D&D will be able to live up to the other areas of George’s writing while making this area even better – and even though D&D are awesome, that’s a really tall order.
keltia,
It’s not a shame. Bran was in only four episodes in Season 4.
Selina,
Yeah,but Bran was never really a fan favorite character and as much as i like Isaac i tend to agree that Bran’s story until he reached the tree was pretty bleh. From now on he finally has an integral part in the story .
Tyrion the Myrions,
Bran might not be a fan favorite, but he’s always been an integral part in the story. He was the first character ever created in the series, he ruled Winterfell, and his story is the one that focuses the most on the main plot, aka, the fight against the ice zombies.
Tyrion the Myrions,
Bran’s story was never bleh.
My bet on the resurrection- NW burns Jon’s body, but he doesn’t actually burn because he’s Targ. Only Mel can “see into the flames” and knows what’s up. She leaves with his body once the flames die down and everyone has left.
Thoros might be a drunk slacker, but he brought dude back 7 times…somethin’ Mel ain’t never even heard of.
Her power is stronger at the Wall. Maybe that’s why when she left, all she could do was melt ice.
More likely she’ll hear the Starks have returned from the dead and retaken Winterfell.
Selina,
I kinda thought it was in seasons 3 & 4. But that’s just my opinion.
EDIT: Well, ok, when I say that, I just mean, compared to the others.
Firannion,
Tobias is totally great in that, Cat and Sam have great chemistry;but Tobias acting is what brings the tension and heart aches to the front.
IMO.
Maybe, but Arya’s been trying to get home since book one when more of her family was still alive, but circumstances kept forcing her in other directions. I don’t see how finding out her family has turned into zombies will improve the situation. But I could see how communicating with Bran through Nymeria, something that’s already set up for, could be a game changer for her journey.
Rygritte,
On the show, she had heard of it: she was surprised that Thoros had managed it as it had not been done in a long time.
As for her powers, in the books it is noted that Melissandre is uncommonly adept at harnessing R’hllor.
Rygritte,
This, she’ll maybe learn that Sansa’s alive or somewhere missing in Westeros, possibly Jon’s death.
Dallas,
Targaryens burn quite well. Moreover, we’ve seen them burn one on the show already. We know that Jon is far from fire-resistant: he birned his hand pretty badly in Season. Daeny surviving the flames unscathed seems to have been a unique event. That actually is pretty important for the idea that Jon is Targaryen: the Dayneites long insisted that Jon could not have burned himself so badly if he were Rhaegar’s son, but he probably could have done.
Wimsey,
Don’t exactly remember what’s in the books, but show Daeny has exhibited fireproof (or at least heatproof) qualities on several occasions prior to Drogo’s funeral pyre. There was the hot bath in the Pilot and she also didn’t burn her hands when she took eggs out of the fire (unlike her handmaid).
What that means, if anything, is unclear.
I really want GoT to do well awards wise but I really hope that Olly doesn’t win that award he is nominated for , evil boy….
OT:
Not exactly about GOT, but I’m excited about this rumor so here it is: It looks like Finn Jones will play Iron Fist in the Netflix series.
I wonder……. Is there any reason for Mel to stay at Castle Black? I would imagine certain NW won’t want her around. I can’t see Wildlings ever forgiving her, for Mance. Outsider must go! But where?
Will she be given the job of taking Jon Snow’s body to Winterfell? Responding to some demand via pink-mail from Roose, perhaps?
So what happens with Davos? I can’t see him staying in Castle Black. Where would he go? Back to his wife, I feel. They have lost sons. He’s lost a cause to believe in. Of course, once away, anything can happen. Davos would be the one who Iron Bank may call on.
If Arya isn’t in this coming season as much….. Well, we’re getting more Bran….. Balancing act, shall we say?
I trust GRRM to know what is and isn’t good story telling. The show went overkill in Jon’s death scene with more attackers (and I can guess why). The book scene has max 4 attackers and the clever use if language on the author’s part makes it moot whether the wounds would kill. If the ambiguity was preserved in the show, it wouldn’t have been nearly so effective as a cliff hanger.
In the book there are hints that Jon has more special abilities than we know of, but they come up in parts of Jon’s story that the show opted not to cover, going for “showier” action sequences.. I understand.. I understand why we’ve seen so little of Ghost, have not see Jon’s dreams, or a couple of non-lethal training yard fights, instead.
But it would be a dramatic turn for Mel, if her thunder was stolen by something directly related to the old gods, and that might cause her to begin to have doubts about R’Hllor.
Then think of the surprise factor for the show runners, and the fact that it wouldn’t need to go unexplained because we have Bran and all those wildlings at the wall, to whom it might not be so strange.
Wimsey,
Show-Dany doesn’t burn. She pulled a molten hot egg out of a fire and her hands were unscathed. Show-Jon has already burned however. They may go another direction with his ressurection.
Surely Jon Snow needs to have a funeral and be burned as we need the ‘black’ to say the words ‘and now his watch has ended’ releasing him from his duties. Jon Like Eddard is to honorable a man to walk away from his vows.
Jon Snow will be dead but Jon Stark will be born.
Dallas,
There was a time when comment like this will be treated as dumb and advice to read the books and you will get link to GRRM quote about where he says “Targs are not immune to fire and what happened with dany is unique and one time thing ” until it became nauseating…
Now I don’t see that and wonder why and imagine my surprise that there is a change in the character related to this topic ..
Mr Fixit,
That dany is unique and not a ordinary targaryen ..someone like bran or bloodraven who are unique with their powers.
It’s about time Kit got one of these.His performance this past season very well stood out in every frame he was in, which made his storyline thoroughly engaging & the finale all the more heartbreaking. Even his wordless reactions to other character’s dialogues were beautifully subtle & nuanced. One of my favourite scene was his silent reaction to Ser Alliser Thorne’s digs during the Lord Commander’s election. Brilliant.
Another Maisie Williams interview:
http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/game-of-thrones/news/a784782/game-of-thrones-star-maisie-williams-arya-gets-totally-broken-down-in-season-6/
Teaser for the trailer today??
Come on I didn’t give my left nut for nothing.
Joffrey’s Cunt,
It looks like we did do it for nothing…. 🙁
Name *,
I suspect that there is going to be a “Phoenix Rising” theme this season, as all of the Big 5 as well as Sansa and possibly Theon, Jaime and even Cersei will be emerging from some analog of personal ashes this year.
El-Bobby,
Show!Daeny and Book!Daeny both are unusually heat resistant: but they have limits! (Book!Daeny likes unusually hot baths, too, and I seem to recall that the hot eggs scene is from the books, too.) GRRM has had to clarify just how heat-resistant Daeny is, possibly as a result of the fact that Dayneites considered Jon’s normal ability to be burned to be proof that he cannot be Daeny’s close kin.
Joffrey’s Cunt,
Well, look on the bright side: someone will have to kick you on the right side now! 😀
That doesn’t mean anything. Sophie is the new Jean Grey for Marvel, Peter was in the previous X-Men movie…
Mihnea,
What time did they announce the teaser two weeks ago?
Name *,
And
It gives a good idea of the kind of casting headaches they must have had way back before the first season for the younger roles, given how the characters evolve so much over the series intended duration – and ADWD wasn’t even published, though GRRM would have given pointers. It says something that only a couple of the younger characters have been recast – and then only ones that haven’t had anywhere near as much screen time (Tommen, Myrcella).
Don’t give up just yet my friend…Hopefully the Cock merchant will find a Sorcerer to sell our parts, and then, out of nowhere, a voice in the fire!
hahaha is that supposed to make me feel better?
One of Roose Bolton’s 20 good leeches,
Can’t remember.
But we’ll have a trailer this weekend. I can feel it…
Joffrey’s Cunt,
We still need a cock…for the cock merchant.
Any brave soul ready to sacrifice his manhood for a higher purpose?
I endorse this
Dutch Maester,
I concur!
Okay, so if Jon is in fact going to be resurrected, does the comment by Liam mean it will happen in episode 1?
Personally, I don’t care when it happens. I just hope it does :S
I don’t see how they can delay it. What would his body be doing for 3 or 4 episodes?
Mihnea,
If I had one, I would!
Tyrion the Myrions,
With you on this one – to me, Outlander is just another high production historical soap opera (like Downton Abbey) & the actors reflect that – except Tobias. He is far and away the best on the show. I’m giving OL one more season to improve.
Mihnea,
Look at it this way: the longer we have to wait for a trailer, the easier and shorter the wait for the first episode will be. This is a you-don’t-say, sure, but before season 4 we got a trailer early january and all of us were completely hyped and had to wait for three more months. Now, we’re less than two months away.
Deesensfan,
We appreciate the intention, nevertheless….
There is no way whatever fans expect to happen will:
1) Happen in episode 1. Not. A Chance.
2) Happen the way fans expect. Nothing ever has.
You guys are so funny 🙂
Isn’t it rather obvious that Maisie as Arya may get fewer episodes, but Arya as “no one” could get plenty?
My prediction is that she resurrects Jon’s body, but Jon’s mind doesn’t come back. This causes her confusion as in what is the point of Jon’s body being alive if he isn’t able to function?. Jon’s mind will come back when he wargs back into his body. Furthermore, because his consciousness never died, he will come back without the ill effects that Beric and LS have.
If Jon is put in a fire, he’d burn to ash the same as Khal Drogo. GRRM (and D&D as well) set this up early on with Jon burning his hand when saving Lord Commander Mormont. It is referred to often in the books with Jon “flexing his burned hand”.
I also admire Tobias a lot, his Black Jack is imo more frightening than Ramsay and Joffrey.
umuckurlife,
I’m still going with the funeral pyre resurrection, not specifically because he’s a Targaryen (although it may reflect a foreshadowing in Jaime’s comments about the Mad King expecting to “rise again, reborn as a dragon, turn his enemies to ash” in the fire), but because of blood magic / the Lord of Light.
The same magic Melisandre would use to revive him, just uttered at the funeral, amidst salt (tears) and smoke, which adheres to her prophecies.
And because of the potential implications of the “and now his watch has ended” declaration.
Deesensfan,
I don’t think they’ll delay it for 3 or 4 episodes, but I don’t think it’ll be in the first episode either.
After stringing out the whole “dead is dead” charade for 8 months, I don’t think they’d jump straight into resurrecting him. They know that’s what most of their audience will be expecting, so I think they’ll toy with them and put it off for at least the first episode.
Perhaps save it for a cliffhanger ending to episode 2. That’d still leave Jon Snow 4 to 6 episodes to get himself together, deal with any Night’s Watch issues, rally some Wildlings, hook up with some Stark loyalists and march on Winterfell towards the end of the season, as I think we all expect him to do.
Ramsay’s 20th Good Man,
I meant 10 months rather than 8. It’s been 8 months so far.
Really looking forward to Arya’s arc this season.
Hodors Bastard,
I’d prefer it if Ghost got to use his bones as toothpicks.
I’ll repeat my prediction from many articles ago:
“Season 6 will start with the usual previously-on clips, ending with the scene of Jon bleeding out. However, it continues for a few seconds longer and Jon’s eyes go “warg”, i.e., he wargs into Ghost, as I believe he will do in the books. Cut immediately to a shot of Ghost then the opening credits. It would really start the season off with a WTF moment. How he then gets back into his body is anybody’s guess, but it will happen quickly. Perhaps Mel revives his body and he wargs back into himself? Who knows?”
Wimsey, I know all about your “hanging guns” rule so you needn’t have to repeat it.
Jack Bauer 24,
Not soon enough if you ask me…
haha I appreciate that 😀
Wall Builder,
yep. I think it would be the right way to do it on the show.
Wall Builder,
Personally, I believe that the experience of death or having been to “the other side” would be enough on its own to result in a transformation of consiousness, like some sort of profound mythological experience, that will inform his future actions.
The warging sounds so technical to me, just like the idea that saying the words would somehow release him from his oath. It feels super witty. I mean, if he actually woke up after the words had been spoken, I’d totally expect him to wink into the camera 🙂
Wall Builder,
Yep, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if one of the first things we see is Ghost. When watching the season finale, I thought, hmmm, it could be they cut away right before Ghost enters the picture. With the comment about this season picking up right where last season left off, it would make some sense if where they picked it up was with Ghost. I could understand them choosing to do that, too. Had they utilized Ghost in the finale, it may not have crated the same buzz over Jon being dead, as the possibility of Ghost and warging would have been right there. Sure, non-book readers may not have known what it meant, but at the very least it could have indicated something other than, well, he’s definitely dead. It would also tie into my guess Bran and BR could be involved with Jon’s resurrection.
If Jon is dead then there is no brain activity. Bran has been shown to warg into Hodor. Would it be possible for him to warg into Jon? Do hope this is not how it goes but thought I would put the idea out there.
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Thats interesting, I didnt know she said that, but it slightly confirms my thoughts. I have theorized that she will try to bring Jon back but will fail. I noticed she was having a crisis of faith last season so I figured that would continue and be solidified to an extent at her inability to bring Jon back. But then I think once they go to burn Jon’s body he will be resurrected in the flames and come back. At which point he will slay the offenders, take Ollies head and be like “And now my watch has ended, peace out bitches” lol
Looking forward to first episode–really think something with Jon will happen in that first one–either he wargs at start of episode or Melisandre does ritual and his eyes open right at end of episode. Enjoyed this whole post with Davos hints and Kit nomination…except for one thing…
Olly.
I’m sorry, I just can’t accept that glaring judgmentally for an entire season and saying less than Wun Wun is worthy of an award. I know, I know, he’s a kid with cute freckles and I’m evil. That’s just my opinion.
Arya absolutely deserves an award. You know who else really deserved to be nominated? Shireen “Girl on Fire” Baratheon.
Dutch Maester,
IDK I’m more obsessed not having seen a trailer, I check every day after lunch if one has dropped. The waiting is more brutal for me lol I have too much pent up anticipation i need some trailer release.
Tyrion the Myrion,
Um I never expressed hatred. I just don’t find the acting extraordinarily good. I’m sure the kid’s sweet and works hard and I don’t hold any grudges against his character either, lol.
I can’t find anywhere in the linked to articles where Maisie herself says she will have less screen time. She says something about “one epic episode” or something, but I was looking for her actual words.
Am I overlooking them? Help! 🙂
That boy’lll be kinda stinky by then, wont he?
That boy’lll be kinda stinky by then.
HunterMac87,
I also think that Melisandre will fail to resurrect Jon. She will definitely try and say the prayer but it won’t work, because she lacks one essential quality. IMO Thoros of Myr was able to resurrect Beric, because he was his friend and he loved him. Melisandre doesn’t love Jon (or anyone else), she is devoted to the Red God but she doesn’t care about the people. So, that’s why she will fail. However, I think that after she fails someone else will repeat the prayer simply out of despair – just like Thoros did, when Beric was killed for the first time – and then the miracle will happen. I was thinking of Edd but now I got the idea that it may be… Davos (because he is more familiar with the Red God and was sort of balancing on the edge of conversion since S2). I just don’t know if his will to see Jon alive would be motivated well enough but it could be. And I would love such plot twist, because Davos would discover faith after losing his god Stannis, and Melisandre would be given a lesson not to sacrifice people so carelessly. It would redeem the Red God as well, because so far Melisandre made this deity look false… Of cause, it’s just a fan’s fiction but I really hope for something like that.
With the ratings they are going to get for the premiere I think they will hold off on the resurrection to keep the hype up and more and more people will tune in each week to see. Whatever episode it is in it will definitely be the final scene of that episode.
Plus, with all of the premiere parties and media outlets that will see the first few episodes, I can’t see them risking that spoiler getting out so easily.
umuckurlife,
But when has Jon ever warged like that in either the show or the books? When has either show or books shown us that wargs can do this?
Whatever they do will have been introduced already, or at least something very similar to it will have been.
Interesting perspective. I wonder how much a deity like R’hllor respects an emotion like “love.” Were the shadow babies created out of love or lust/power? Does Mel need love as a factor to raise the dead or just a lust for power? Personally, I don’t see the “love-resurrection” relationship but nevertheless, it is an interesting perspective.
Judibatt,
It could have been a link someone posted in the comments section to another article, but what I remember reading was she would appear in fewer episodes, not that her screen time will necessarily be less. I know, that’s not very helpful without the link, but I’m too damn lazy to look for it. I I can recall which article’s comment section it was in, I’ll come back and post it for you.
Ah, but that is from your imagination, not GRRM’s. There is no indication n the books or on the show that Thoros and Beric even knew each other well the first time that Thoros brought Beric back. From what GRRM gives us, this is up to the whims of R’hllor. Whatever this entity is (and beyond “bad news,” I have little idea!), it has it’s own agenda. If Jon Snow is part of its plans, then it will bring Jon back. Melisandre will be (as she explains both on the show and in the books) R’hllor’s conduit: but is not her power, but power lent to her.
Probably immensely when it is its own love. Other people’s love? Probably not so much: just like most people! 😀
It’s rare I bother to respond to you these days, but…
Wimsey: Ah, but that is from your imagination, not GRRM’s. There is no indication n the books or on the show that Thoros and Beric even knew each other well the first time that Thoros brought Beric back.
In the show, Thoros says, when speaking of the first time he brought Beric back, “I knelt beside his cold body and said the old words, not because I believed in them, but because he was my friend and he was dead.”
Yep, stinky, decaying, rotten….
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
Except that nothing that I wrote is from my imagination! Yes, Thoros called Beric friend: but that is a from saying that their friendship was at the “I love you, bro” level. It might have been, but most friendships are not at that level for some time, and as there is no indication that Beric and Thoros went back any further than this mission. If this was to be important, then M,B&W should have made this clear. (Thoros is developed as the sort who would quickly count someone as a friend, too: and that just adds to the fuzziness here.)
At any rate, if Melisandre is going to fail, then M,B&W have to use one of the other means of reviving the dead or the near dead that they have established already and put at the Wall. That creates a problem: M,B&W have not established any other means of doing this save perhaps one Mengelian Maester, and even that stretch is nowhere near the Wall.
And this sort of thing is why I don’t bother.
Moving on…
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
Thank you. I know, or read, that it was from a press conference or something but I just wanted to check the source for he info because it does not really read As if Maisie said those words herself. I did Google things myself and only came up with the same articles with the same links and none went to a source that actually had Maisie quoted as saying this. It was more like that’s what the journalist “assumed” or gathered.
Wimsey,
Thoros and Dondarrion were sent out together at the mid-beginning of Game by Ned to scout for Gregor. https://asearchoficeandfire.com/?q=dondarrion+thoros+&scope%5B%5D=agot
Is this what you were talking about?
The tv description is not very clear.
Not undead, believed to be dead and now they’re not.
I loved the Liddle cave encounter.
Wait, does Arya know what Theon did & hear her little bros were dead? Does she know what happened to Sansa after Joffrey died? Maybe the play reveals Sansa fled King’s Landing.
Correct! From what we’ve learned, Beric was slain (for the first time) not long afterwards. Now, Thoros does state that he considered Beric to be a friend: and that is why he beseeched R’hllor to bring Beric back, even though Thoros himself held no hope that it could work. However, Thoros also is portrayed as the kind of person who makes friends quickly and easily (he was a carouser and a campaigner) while living a life that he himself considers hollow (he had lost faith in his own religion and bordered on being an atheist at this point). Such people typically are “friends” with everyone but “close” to nobody in particular. That is, the “like” easily, but do not “love” easily. (Not all affection is love, after all.)
Now, it is possible that Thoros and Beric actually went back further than this, and that Beric was one of Thoros’ few “close” friends. However, we never are given that information. As such, we simply do not have the information suggesting that Thoros bore Beric any deep affection beyond that a current “Bromance.”
At any rate, this really is all trivia at this stage unless MB&W are trying to make “love” a key ingredient of Red Priests reviving the mortally wounded. Guns fired late have to be hung early: and they never have properly hung this gun. Moreover, everything that they have developed about R’hllor suggests that it is no Dumbledore-in-the-sky: “love” does not seem to matter much to it. (If anything, then we have gotten a lot of dark hints that it is motivated by hatred.)
One thing that does bear noting here. When Thoros revives Beric on the show, he does it with no major effects: no loud sounds or bright flashes or anything like that occurred. (It’s off-camera: but only just off camera so that such things would have been witnessed.) So, it’s possible that Mel’s dramatic actions will be other magics, perhaps to drive away the Nationalists who would defile Jon’s body, or perhaps to breakup strife between the Nationalists and Loyalists so that they can flee with Jon, or something like that.
And, of course, it is possible that this time there will be a lot more thunder and lightning because there is no reason why they have to do it the exact same way!
Well, do not incorrectly accuse me of inserting my imagination into things next time! (I actually am not a terribly imaginative person: but one does not need imagination to consider numerous alternative explanations for things.)
Excuse me?
Show me where in this post I accused you of anything:
Oh.
Hmmm.
Lookie there.
You can’t show me, because I didn’t accuse you of anything.
So, who’s the one making false accusations? Here’s a hint: it ain’t me.
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
Nym, please tell Don I am locked out at FB. Its saying my account is pending approval or something. Thx
Rygar,
Done. I put it in chat…
Or did you want me to pm him?
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
Chat is fine. Thanks buddy.
Wimsey,
I see that my crazy idea provoked quite a discussion, so let me explain my point more thoroughly. IMO, the basic difference between Mel and Thoros is their attitude towards their god and people. Thoros is rather indifferent to the Lord of Light but the really cares about the people around him. He resurrects Berric and Cat not because he thinks that these people are to play some part in the eternal plan but simply because he can’t bear to see them dead for one reason or another (though I do admit that eventually he starts to play with the gift of resurrection too carelessly). Mel, on the contrary, is a typical zealot ready to sacrifice anyone for her grand idea, and so far her actions were paving the road to hell (I mean that she corrupted Stannis who was a just man initially). This raises a very universal question of whether moral goals (saving the world) can be achieved by immoral means (sacrificing innocent children). I can’t imagine GRRM answering – yes. So there are two possibilities: either he has to reveal that the Red God is false, or Mel has to get some punishment for her misinterpretations. In the first case, Jon should be resurrected by Mel and turn into a monster. However, I don’t see that happening, because Jon is supposed to fight the White Walkers (and the Boltons in the show). Therefore, redemption of the Red God through Mel’s punishment is absolutely necessary.
We should also take into account the general attitude GRRM has towards deities. He has already developed the concept of the many-faced god whose name and gift is Death. Drawing a parallel, there must be also the many-faced god whose name and gift is Life. In fact, it should be the same god, because life and death cannot exist without each other, but that’s another issue. Back to the many-faced god of life, the Red God should be one of its manifestations, just like the Old Gods and the Seven, which also has nasty zealots (like the High Sparrow), but true followers (like septon Meribald), as well. So, redemption of the Red God look for me more likely and this demands some punishment for Mel, as I said.
I don’t know whether the failure to resurrect Jon would be that punishment, but my heart will be in a big conflict with itself, if she does that before paying for her sins. I was surprised how easily the fandom accepted the idea of Mel resurrecting Jon right after all that howling over the sacrifice of Shireen. It’s just doesn’t seem right to me, so I really hope for some other more moral solution…
Anyway, we will see how it plays pretty soon and thank you for an interesting discussion.
Inga,
And I thank you for an interesting argumentation! I also believe that Melisandre must pay for what she did to Shireen, that’s why I tend to favour the idea that she will lose her life while resurrecting Jon.
Shy Lady Dragon,
Losing life won’t be exactly sufficient for Melisandre, because she is not living – she only serves her Red Lord. I think that as a character Melisandre should somehow serve to show the shortcomings of the religious zealotry, which GRRM strongly dislikes. The High Sparrow can’t serve this purpose, because nobody really cares about his fate. Whereas, Melisandre is primed to resurrect our beloved Jon and so we forced to be interested into her successes and failures.
Inga,
It’s interesting what you wrote about the purpose her character should serve and you are right, our wishes for Jon somehow deviate our sense of justice.
Not even being burnt would be sufficient to punish Melisandre, but I’m afraid not all the awful deeds will get right punishment in the books/ show. Imo Joffrey’s death was not enough for all his crimes, those seconds of horror weren’t able to compensate all the suffering he had caused. And it will be the same with Ramsey, I fear.
This was very well-argued, Inga. I agree with you that the author is not a big fan of zealotry or ends always justifying means. And although I greatly dislike Melisandre, I for one would find it much more gratifying, in terms of good storytelling and character development, for her to learn and grow from her failures, rather than simply be punished for them.
The most instructive thing that can happen to a fundamentalist is to be forced by circumstance, or by the consequences of acting on one’s own rigid beliefs, to make mental room for doubt. If she can let go of her arrogant sureness and self-righteousness and replace it with empathy, she could become a powerful ally to Jon, and one who would not taint him.
Firannion,
Exactly! We have the same wish concerning Melisandre. And when I wrote “punishment” I didn’t mean it in direct sense but rather as a sign that the way she serves her lord is actually wrong. I don’t see much potential for her transformation without such sign.
Inga,
I’m happy I checked back in on this thread (in all honesty, I was hoping someone would have the decency to acknowledge their mistake, but whatever), as I had a chance to read your thoughts regarding Melisandre, etc… They were quite interesting, and while I don’t tend to spend much time trying to think through/figure out how the various gods work, I’ve always thought there must be some point at which Melisandre must really take a look at her failures. I think she would certainly be shaken if, after everything, she is unsuccessful at resurrecting Jon. It would set up what I think you’re getting at…why someone like Thoros, who referred to himself as a bad priest, would be successful, when, at least as far as Melsiandre was concerned, she’s been a faithful servant of R’hllor, but fails to do what Thoros did several times. Could it lead to, for lack of a better way of putting it, a crisis of conscience?
Anyway, thanks you for your posts, as they made me think about some things in a different way than I had before. 🙂